Binder



Dec. 30, 1941. c. s. SLONNEGER 2,268,431

BINDER Filed Feb. 19. 1940 grvumm F IE. 4155117015581;

whom I Patented Dec. 30, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BINDER Clifford S. Slonneger, Washington, Ill.

Application February 19, 1940, Serial No. 319,614

9 Claims.

This invention has reference to binders as more or less temporarily used for books employed in accounting systems while also of value for memorandum books and the like, the invention being directed more particularly to rings adapted to open, and mounted upon a rod or support carried by the book-cover.

One of the object of the present invention is to provide a ring, or series of rings, so mounted that the same may freely swing in their own planes with respect to the book to either side of the book-cover and that the leaves or pages of such book may freely hang from the rings and thus lie flat throughout upon either surface of said cover Another object is to provide an arrangement in a binder by which any given ring of a series of rings used for a book-binder may be opened independently of the others.

Another object lies in mounting a ring of two pivotally related lockable parts adapted to swing relatively in the plane of such ring and apply yielding pressure at the pivot point in a direction paralleling the axis of action of said parts for securing the latter normally in locked engagement.

Still another object is to mount upon a rod a series of spaced rings each of two pivotally related lockable parts adapted to separate one from the other in the plane of the ring, introducing spacing members between them and maintaining a yielding pressure upon all of said parts at their pivots throughout the series of rings.

Again an object including with the last named object is to so provide the named arrangement that any given ring or series of rings may be swung independently from others about and with respect to said rod.

Another and important object in a binder is that any one ring or a series of rings may be independently swung or opened without respect to others of the series even though the rod upon which said rings are carried may be more or less distorted.

Another object is that due to the construction to be described the parts entering into the binder admit of constructing a binder of any desired length by using more or less of said parts to agree with the width of an accounting book to be accommodated.

Other objects and advantages will be made known as the following description proceeds aided by the drawing forming part hereof.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention in one of its forms;

Figure 2 is a plan in detail of parts shown in Figure 1, parts being broken away to show struc tures; c

Figure 3 is a side elevationof a ring of relatively swingable parts shown mounted on a rod according to Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a plan of a ring illustrating a spring at each side thereof as a modified form when compared with Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 5 illustrates in side elevation a pair of coil springs interlocked by turning, screwing or intermeshing one into the other;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention according to Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a plan of parts of a ring and means for yieldingly clamping said parts as distinguished from that shown in the earlier figures;

Figure 8 shows in perspective separate ring parts on a rod and spring means for constantly tending to swing the said parts to their open positions;

Figure 9 is an end section of a book lid or cover or other like parts showing the manner of mounting thereon the structure such as is shown in Figures 1 and 6;

Figure 10 shows in perspective a manner of mounting a pair of rings upon a support for use in a pocket type of memorandum book for example;

The binder of the present invention has been designed to yield greater convenience to the user of accountingand other books of the loose-leaf type as compared with binders now known.

In Figure 1 a supporting portion such as the cover portion of a book is denoted at A secured to and extending from an edge of which are two spaced retainers B, in this instance, as best shown in Figures 11 and 12. Carried by and extending between said retainers is a rod I upon which are mounted a series of two-part rings 2 in spaced relation, said rod extending through and forming the support for the two halves of each ring as shown in Figure 2, the half portion of each said ring adapted to swing about said rod, the ring-halves adapted to swing in their own planes and adapted to interengage in a well known manner at their free extremities, see Figure 4.

Sleeves 3 are employed in this form to space apart the several rings 2 at desired distances. At one end the rod may have a nut 4 to abut an adjacent retainer B while at the opposite end the rod may receive a sleeve in the form of a coil spring 5 to abut an end ring while a head 6 threaded on said rod may compress the spring and therethrough cause the rings and sleeves to frictionally engage whereby the ring-halves will be held firmly together frictionally at their pivot or hinge position and yet permit them to be sprung apart at their normally interlocked free ends.

It is clear that while the rings are snugly held frictionally between the sleeves 3 any one of them may be swung about the rod I as shown in Figure 9 so that, as often desired, the entire series of rings may be located at either side of the supporting portion A. Thereby the sheets or leaves denoted at C may readily lie flat and in orderly arrangement on either surface of said support and without being crowded within the rings by which they are held.

In Figure 6 a series of coil springs 1 answer as spacers for the rings identified in this figure by 2'. In this form of the device all of the springs may be placed under compression by a nut 6' and said springs may be used to alter the spacing distances of the rings by interengaging their convolutions as shown particularly in Figure 5. Thus the spacing of the rings. and the amount of pressure therethrough may be changed while frictional action is provided for ring control as in the example first described.

Although the spring tension on the rings may be applied in either of these ways, other ways may also be used.

In Figure 7 a coil spring 8 at one end abuts the ring 2 and the other end thereof may be afilxed to the rod l at 8 A spring 5 is compressed between the opposite side of said'ring and a previously described retainer of the cover portion A, such retainer receiving through it the said rod l while a thumb-nut 6 for example,

threaded on the rod and abutting the retainer,

serves to shift the rod through the latter to thus compress both springs for clamping both portions of the said ring 2 with more or less pressure frictionally.

Figure 8 shows a coil spring I!) whose ends are coiled about the supporting rod of the structure at each side of the ring 2 the extremities of said ends engaging upon the rings half-portions. The spring, as before, may be fixed in position on the rod for locating said ring on the latter, the tendency of the spring being to hold the ring-halves apart or away from each other in the plane of the ring when said halves are disengaged one from the other.

In Figure 10 is shown a single form of device for pocket or other use wherein I4 is a metal support having spaced turned ends I4 to receive a rod l5 upon which, between said turned ends, is introduced a pair of rings I B through which the rod extends as a pivot therefor, a spring l6 lying between the rings under compression serving to maintain frictional control of the latter while providing for allowing the ring -portions to be sprung apart, the turned ends acting as abutments for the whole structure.

For easy manipulation of sheets in so called loose-leaf books it is preferable to employ rings the parts of which open or swing in the planes of the rings. my arrangement being particularly adapted for the use of such.

By employing a greater or less number of the spacers 3, 'l rods I of any length may be used to build a binder to fit any width of accounting book.

In some instances where the sheets are severed into separate bulks as at C in Figure 1, for ex- Uli ample, and where certain of the sheets of one bulk are to be removed independently of the other bulk the rings herein, since any one or more can be opened independently of others of the series, admit of removing a sheet or series of sheets from either bulk without disturbance of those remaining or disarrangement thereof, this naturally, also being quite important.

Since the series of sleeves and rings in most of the forms herein shown are freely strung upon the supporting rod between the abutments 4 and 6 the entire series is free to shift along said rod, be the shift ever so slight, in order that the several parts can be made to intimately abut to provide the necessary frictional pressure to maintain the ring-halves in adjusted positions relatively, there being nothing to prevent such slight shifting.

It has been stated that the rings may swing with respect to the rod on which they are mounted, but it is equally true that if the rod may have less friction in the retainers 13 than have the rings between the sleeves 3, or the spring of Figure 6, the rod may turn in said retainers with like advantageous result. It may be desirable, however, to have the rod held securely to the end that the rings may be more con eniently operated upon both as to swing on the rod and better control when opening or closing the half-portions thereof.

I claim:

1. A binder of the character described including in its construction a rod having a pair of spaced abutments, a plurality of pairs of half ring portions on the rod between the abutments, one half of each pair adapted to close upon the other half creating a ring, a sleeve embracing the rod between each pair of rings and abutting both rings, the sleeves and rings being confined between the abutments and free to shift along the rod, one of the sleeves being elastic in nature in an axial direction to create pressure upon the entire series of said sleeves and rings.

2. A binder of the nature described including in its construction a rod, a series of rings spaced apart thereon, each ring consisting of two hingedly related parts normally adapted to be closed one against the other, said rod constituting the hinge pins for said parts, a spacing sleeve interposed between each pair of the rings at the ring hinging position of the parts thereof, and means to maintain pressure of said sleeves against the parts to maintain frictional engagement of the latter, said rings adapted to swing relatively with respect to each other in their own planes.

3. A binder of the nature described including in its construction a rod, a series of rings spaced apart thereon, each ring consisting of two hingedly related parts normally adapted to be closed one against the other, said rod constituting the hinge pins for said parts, a spacing sleeve on the rod between each pair of the rings at the hinging position of the parts thereof, and means to force the sleeves and the rings together to hold the ring parts in frictional engagement with each other, said rings adapted to swing relatively with respect to each other in their own planes.

4. A binder of the nature described including in its construction a rod, a series of rings spaced apart thereon, each ring consisting of two hinged- 1y related parts adapted to normally retain an interlocked closed position, said rod constituting the hinge pin for said parts, a spacing sleeve on the rod between each pair of the rings at the hinging position of the parts thereof, and means for maintaining pressure elastically upon and between the sleeve and ring parts.

5. A binder of the nature described including in its construction a rod, a pair of rings spaced apart and engaging over the rod, one of the rings consisting of two parts hingedly related at said rod and adapted to retain positions closed upon each other, and a spacing sleeve on the rod between the rings, said sleeve being elastic and compressible between said rings, and means abutting each ring to hold each in abutment with said sleeve, the rings and sleeves being free to shift along said rod.

6. A binder of the nature described including in its construction a rod, a pair of rings carried thereby, one of the rings consisting of two parts hingedly related at said rod adapted to separate in their own planes and to retain a closed position upon each other to form a closed retainer for filed sheets held in the same, a sleeve on the rod extending between the rings and spacing them apart, said sleeve consisting of a helically coiled wire, and elastic means to hold the several named parts in abutment with each other.

'7. The invention according to claim 6 wherein the sleeve is comprised of two helically wound wires adapted to mesh with each other and adjustable by rotation of one with respect to the other to change the length of the created sleeve between the said rings.

8. A binder of the nature described including in its construction a rod, a series of rings spaced apart thereon, each ring consisting of two hingedly related parts normally adapted to retain an interengaged closed position, said rod constituting the hinge pins for said parts, and said rod having an abutment portion at one extremity, an adjustable nut at its other extremity, a sleeve on said rod between each pair of rings, and a spring interposed between certain of the named elements to be compressed by said nut, said sleeves thus bearing frictionally against the hinge portions of the ring parts, said rings being separately or collectively swingable about said rod in their own planes, the named assembled elements being confined between the said abutment portion and said nut.

9. A binder of the character described including in its construction a rod, two spaced apart abutments fixed with respect to the rod, one of them being adjustable with respect to the other axially of the rod, a series of rings and a series of sleeves, the members of both series embracing the rod between the abutments, said members alternating in position and abutting each other, each ring consisting of two parts, one of the parts being swingable for opening and closing said ring, the sleeves and rings being capable of separately shifting along the rod, and elastic means embracing the rod between the abutments and adjustable to exert varying pressure upon the entire series of sleeves and rings.

CLIFFORD S. SLONNEGER. 

